WATERTOWN, Wis. - On a warm November afternoon, the Pioneers of Alfred State College came to Watertown and handed the Sabercats a 7-21 loss. The win marked the second consecutive year that the Sabercats have been defeated by ASC.

The Basics

• Result: Sabercats 7-21 Pioneers
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
• Attendance: 230
• Sabercats: now 3-6, Pioneers: now 1-8

How it Happened

• 1st Quarter
  • The Pioneers announced their intentions from the opening drive, as a brief, five-play march ended with a 40-yard connection from Dashon Turner to Josh Ashley put the Pioneers ahead 7-0 (0-7)
  • Josh Hill connected with Clayton Morrison for a gain of 19 yards in the first quarter, but that was the only significant gain for the Sabercats' offense, who were stymied by the hard-working Pioneers.
• 2nd Quarter
  • The Pioneers put together a long, five-minute drive to open the second quarter, as their running game proved to be too unpredictable for the Sabercats. After the lengthy possesion, Alfred State scored their second touchdown of the afternoon when Marcus Evans scampered into the Sabercats end zone for an eight-yard rush (0-14)
  • On the next drive, the Sabercats kept the chains moving and made it to the Pioneers' 23, but a fumble from Bueltel proved costly and the Pioneers suddenly had possession.
• 3rd Quarter
  • Four consecutive three-and-outs began the third quarter, as each team's defense stood firm. 
  • Later, the Sabercats picked up some key first downs to get into enemy territory, but the finishing touches were left undone as the Sabercats could not get on the board.
• 4th Quarter
  • The Pioneers finished up a drive with their final touchdown of the day to open the fourth quarter. This time, it came through the air as Turner connected with Ashley again to increase the lead to 21 (0-21)
  • Jonah Bueltel picked up some big rushing yards to keep the Sabercats' drive alive later on in the fourth. After Bueltel nearly snuck into the endzone, Frankie Martinez scored with a short rush on the very next play. After a David Fenton kick, the Sabercats had finally found a solution to the Pioneers' stingy defense, but it was too little, too late, as the Pioneers denied the Sabercats on their next drive to close out their first win of the season (7-21) 

Up Next

• The Sabercats conclude the 2016 in their final home game against Minnesota-Morris next Saturday, Novemeber 12 at 12:00 PM.
• You can watch the Senior Day game live at mbusabercats.com/live